The increasing danger of a homegrown terrorist

Terrorism experts say his fluency in English and his familiarity with American culture have allowed him to successfully recruit followers in the USA

By Aamer MadhaniUSA TODAY

WASHINGTON — As a student at Colorado State, Yusuf Siddiqui remembered fellow student Anwar al-Awlaki as someone concerned mostly about the "simple-minded cliches" that characterized the way Muslims were depicted in American television and movies. He didn't express extremist views, and his criticisms of the United States were fairly benign, said Siddiqui, also a Muslim.

Al-Awlaki's political activism amounted to the wearing of a T-shirt that supported the plight of Muslims in Eritrea and sporting traditional Afghan clothing.